China General
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You are currently reading a thread in /trv/ - Travel
You are currently reading a thread in /trv/ - Travel
Kawagebo 卡瓦格博 edition
General info:
https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/China (preferred, the 'new' one)
http://wikitravel.org/en/China
Hotels:
http://hotel.elong.net/
http://english.ctrip.com/hotels/
Buses:
http://bus.ctrip.com/
http://www.chinabusguide.com/
Trains:
http://www.cnvol.com/
http://www.travelchinacheaper.com/how-to-buy-china-train-tickets-online
Expat restaurants/supermarkets/bars:
http://listings.echinacities.com/
Apps:
Pleco (dictionary)
baidu maps/google maps
VPNs:
Astril/VPNNinja
4chan: get a pass or use a vpn or both (might be blocked now)
(VPNs might get you b& on 4chan if used outside of /trv/)
Previous thread >>1084267
>>1095067
Kawagebo is an awesome (and sacred) peak on the border between Yunnan and Tibet. You can visit the area pretty easily via an idyllic village called Yubeng (雨崩) nestled deep within the valley that leads up to a glacial lake and to another sacred waterfall. It is normally not accessible by car.
You can also perform a ritual circumambulation of the mountain massif.
>>1095067
>http://www.travelchinacheaper.com/how-to-buy-china-train-tickets-online
>Says to go to some other website
>allow a security applet you might be forced to download during the payment process.
Seriously?
Could also use this one:
http://www.chinahighlights.com/china-trains/
I think there are many legit options, but I don't think the one in the general is one of them.
I'm having trouble with astrill.
I use stealth mode, open mode doesn't even work for me. In stealth mode I use servers with the star near their city name, and it sometimes works for about 30 minutes to one hour before it craps out. I get an error message, or it just stops loading pages. I have to restart my laptop every goddamn time that happens to get it to work again.
Any suggestions, or anyone having the same problem?
>>1095125
>Seriously?
I think it might be an ad on the site doing that, when I open it I just get a guide to using 12306.com. Is that what you're talking about?
I have noscript though, so maybe that's why nothing tried to download.
12306.com is the official website for Chinese railway companies. It's how most Chinese buy train tickets online. It's all in Chinese though, which is why a guide with pictures is useful.
The picture guide is why it's in the OP, if you want to try and use 12306, it's pretty handy. There are other versions of it out there though.
>>1095239
>I'm having trouble with astrill
I have trouble with VPNNinja sometimes, basically the same kind of thing.
Depending on where you are and maybe whether there are any government meetings happening (like Boao just now), the firewall gets harder. Often when they want to be difficult, they'll just block or throttle ANY long-lived encrypted connection. If you keep some encrypted connection open for half an hour, some bit of software decides that it's probably a VPN and throttles or kills it. Usually they just throttle it by slowing it way, way down. Sometimes they maybe just drop a few random ones which might have the same effect.
The intent is probably to force you to browse without VPN so that they can see what you're doing and block nasty foreign news sites.
Non-stealth VPNs like PPT/OpenVPN can be instantly recognised and blocked/throttled if they feel like it.
'Stealth' VPNs are really just PPT or OpenVPN but piped through an obfuscation protocol which is usually stunnel from TOR. Since the connection is then encrypted and doesn't look like any known VPN traffic, it avoids the software that messes with known VPNs. However other software sometimes finds it and decides that it might be a VPN and anyway they don't know what it is, so they choke it.
What we need is a VPN with network traffic that looks like a DOTA game or something.
What souvenirs would you bring from China except Raiden hat?
>>1095452
Jade jewellery, provided you know what you're buying.
You can find lots of Maoist memorabilia (red book, hat, Mao suit, Mao busts, posters, etc.)
If you go to the right places you can also find very unique (and affordable) teaware. For this purpose your best bet is generally to visit one of the "tea cities" that can be found in any major Chinese city. They are filled with small stalls, each specialising in their own thing, selling tea itself, ready to have customers sample theirs teas, others mainly focusing on selling cups and wares. In places like Shanghai you can also visit more touristy locations like Tianzifang where you'll find shops selling more artistic goods, but often with hefty prices attached.
One of the most interesting pieces of memorabilia that I found were Tibetan chopstick sets complete with a knife, all fitting together in a sheath. I never found any in good condition though; they were all antiques and very badly worn.
reposting from old thread
Can you recommend me good documentaries about contemporary China that present both the modern urban side and also the rural areas and obscure provinces? Something with the least amount of politics possible, focusing on how the people live.
>>1095477
Earthlings
>>1095482
The hippie vegan film? No thank you. Even if you agree with its message it has nothing to do with China.
>>1095477
A bite of china series 1.
>>1095067
about to be in china on a z visa, if my school starts shafting me what happens if i quit? can i find work elsewhere on the same visa?
>>1095477
http://asianwiki.com/Bachelor_Mountain
http://www.beyondhollywood.com/bachelor-mountain-2011-movie-review/
it's so insightful... like... i was super tired when i started watching, but then there is a point at the beginning where they're gathering dressed all in really shitty clothes looking homeless. and then one person went "if you film this, people will think we're homeless"
then i was like "good, they really trust this fimmaker" and it became very interesting.
might not be properly quoted, i saw this like 3-4 years ago... however i do remember that it's a great one about how people live in northwest (and southwest) china.
>>1095524
no. if you quit pre-maturely you can even get blacklisted from working for other schools.
you'd have to transfer your visa over to your new school, and get a letter of release from your old employer in order to do that.
>>1095524
Are you the guy that had no degree that was asking how to get a z visa?
How did you finally get one?
>>1095457
>Tibetan chopstick sets complete with a knife, all fitting together in a sheath
Those are also part of Mongolian and Manchu culture. You can get new versions of that in the supermarkets and also at souvenir stalls at places like train stations in those areas. Those little knives get used in the north to carve off bits of stewed lamb in a dish called something like shao bao rou, it's stewed or boiled lamb and the cook or the father sits at the table and slices bits of lamb off the bone and people eat it steaming with a tomato chilli sauce, bretty gud
>>1095452
>What souvenirs would you bring from China
I brought home a sword but it took some negotiation to get it on the plane. Lucky I was flying air china and one of the stewards told security they'd take care of it and took it from me and gave it back to me when I landed in the west. Just walked through customs with it and they checked the scabbard to see if the wood was ok. God I love Chinese rules sometimes. No way it would have worked bringing a sword through an airport in the west.
You can get these paper weights which are a traditional thing for holding open scrolls, I use them for cook books in the kitchen. They're a stone rectangle cut down the middle with some kind of proverb or picture on them.
May as well bring back a set of chopsticks too, there are some really nice ones.
>>1095626
>no. if you quit pre-maturely you can even get blacklisted from working for other schools.
That's not necessarily true, I know people that have gone through several schools. Tends to be dodgy schools but that is what anon was talking about.
>>1095626
>you'd have to transfer your visa over to your new school, and get a letter of release from your old employer in order to do that.
That's technically true but it's not always hard and I think there are ways around the letter of release.
>>1095641
>shao bao rou
It's shou ba rou/手扒肉.
Most Mongolian guys and a lot of Chinese guys in Inner Mongolia have knives like that. They get used in fights sometimes but technically they're for eating with.
How many westerners are in Shenzhen? My girlfriend is an attractive white girl there and I am paranoid about other western men being there.
>>1095677
It's got Hong Kong levels of foreigners already. Coco park looks more and more like Lan Kwai Fong with each passing year. So, tons of foreigners.
>>1095699
>Lan Kwai Fong
So basically a lot of white people?
>>1095703
Ya, lots of whites and Indians in coco park. Handful of African or American negro
>>1095710
How many Russians are in the area? What are the white people there like? Party types, rich guys, etc?
What is there to do for fun in the area? This doesn't help my paranoia lol
>>1095712
There are a good number of Russian and Eastern Euros from what I hear. Whites will be mixed crowd of English teachers to more professional types with real jobs and money, suited up professionals.
>>1095719
ok thanks.
>>1095677
>I am paranoid
Stay off 4chan dude, you're starting to believe the /pol/ cuckold-memes.
There are definitely loads of foreigners in Shenzhen and especially in the foreigner clubs but either you trust this girl or you don't. If she's not trustworthy then why are you even with her?
Can somebody tell me what this is exactly
>>1095772
>Can somebody tell me what this is exactly
No but I can tell you approximately. Their 'artistic' font is hard to read which makes writing it in Pleco hard.
>美汁源
>果粒奶优
>蜜桃味
>水果牛奶饮[冬?]
Pretty much what you should have thought it was. Minute Maid fruit flavoured milk, Honey Peach flavour.
The flavour is the bit in pink. The blue bit says fruit flavoured milk drink, I can't read the last character and I think I have it wrong.
And that's five minutes that I'll never get back.
>>1095798
>I can't read the last character and I think I have it wrong.
The last two are probably 饮料 which is beverage rather than drink.
>>1095798
shit. all along I was thinking it was some kind of multivitamin drink with fruit pieces added.
well, thanks anon
>>1095804
>multivitamin drink with fruit pieces added
Other way around.
It's a fruit drink, probably with vitamins added but you didn't show us the ingredients.
>>1095772
peach flavored fruit/milk drink
>>1095772
It's got pictures of cream and a peach... with the Cool English Health Words™ around them. My immediate suspicion without knowing any Chinese would be that it's a peach-flavoured milk drink of some sort. Amazing things the mind can do sometimes, eh?
>>1095067
anybody gone to china with medication? i have a two prescribed meds to take with me, i dont want problems at customs.
Lithium battery devices aren't allowed to be used at all on China Eastern what the actual fuck?
>>1095770
You're exactly right. I trust her, thanks brother.
>>1095867
>two prescribed meds
Take prescriptions with you, should be fine. Only problem would be if those particular meds were illegal in China or something but that's rare unless it's medical mj or dex or something.
Also, unless you cross at a land border that doesn't see foreigners, they probably won't notice.
>>1095924
>Lithium battery devices aren't allowed to be used at all on China Eastern what the actual fuck?
Probably had a few phones with fake batteries catch fire on the plane.
I'm in a tier 2 city that's known for having "easy, laid back" women. I've been here 2 weeks and haven't gotten laid yet. Only had 2 dates, one girl flaked on me. That's after using a several dating apps like a madman. Some of the girls on there are pretty immature or stupid, or playing dumb. a few told me they only go on there to make friends or practice Engrish, but they're clearly hook up/dating apps.
Im pretty dumbfounded, I actually find it easier to get laid in Shanghai and Shenzhen than this place. Kinda unheard of, normally it's extremely easy to get laid in tier 2 cities where you are more in demand.
Anywho, any suggestions? Haven't been to bars and clubs yet.
>>1095989
You are either a pure Chad or you're utterly desperate. Either way it doesn't come off very good on these boards.
>>1095989
>a few told me they only go on there to make friends or practice Engrish, but they're clearly hook up/dating apps
So they're just testing the waters, or weren't into you enough to hook up.
What city is it? Not that it makes a difference probably.
Ded thread
OP always chooses shitty images
>>1096618
This more your style?
>>1096618
>OP always chooses shitty images
What was stopping you from doing it yourself when we got to 300?
>>1095477
CCTV produces a shitton of docs, a lot of them are on Youtube in English. This one, for example, is about a small water-town where they grow water bamboo (it's wild rice actually https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_rice)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-TQOasb1Pk
I'm coming to China in a few days. I'm planning on seeing Beijing and Shanghai, but most of the 3 weeks I'll be there are unplanned (I'm on a long trip).
Any particular recommendations for cities that have interesting things to see or do, and where it's particularly easy to get laid via tinder/badoo/wechat?
I recognize that's a vague question, but I'm pretty open so I'd like to hear what you guys recommend.
>>1096782
>Any particular recommendations for cities that have interesting things to see or do, and where it's particularly easy to get laid via tinder/badoo/wechat?
I don't know about getting laid via apps but Suzhou is a bit off the track for foreign tourists and has interesting things to see. It's got a lot of canals and very famous traditional gardens and city walls. Also a big lake area with cool night life.
Also a bit famous for hookers.
>>1095477
>documentaries about contemporary China
>focusing on how the people live
Under the Dome
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6X2uwlQGQM
>be me right now
>got the shits
>not sure if ill or got food poisoning
>literally shitting water every 30 seconds like there's a hose strapped to my bumhole
>toilet in my rented apartment is a squat toilet
>shitting everywhere, have to clean it up with the shower
why the fuck do these chinks still put in squat toilets in modern high rise apartments?
Is it safe to travel in China?
White male.
>>1096883
Yes, China is one of the safest places in the world with a crime rate equivalent to that of Switzerland. Pollution is another matter. Xinjiang has chronic unrest, but the Uigurs' animosity is mostly directed towards the ethnic Chinese.
>>1095457
How much would you expect to pay for Mao-stuff?
>>1096893
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Peace_Index
>Switzerland
>5
>China
>124
>>1096875
>still put in squat toilets in modern high rise apartments
I don't think they do. You must live in an old building or the apartment was fitted out for some elderly couple who didn't want fancy modern western things.
Most middle-class homes and all the new homes that I've seen have sit-toilets, even in the country-side.
Personally, I like the squat toilets, they're comfy
>>1096894
>How much would you expect to pay for Mao-stuff?
As much as you are prepared to pay. The actual price should be about Y10 because it's mass produced souvenirs but they'll want Y200.
>>1096899
>Global_Peace_Index
That is a lot more than crime rate and includes shitloads of things that don't matter to a tourist.
>Number of internal security officers and police per 100,000 people
>Number of armed-services personnel
>Volume of transfers of major conventional weapons as supplier (exports) per 100,000 people
>Nuclear and heavy weapons capability
China will score way, way worse than Switzerland for those measures. Doesn't matter to a tourist though.
>>1096894
>>1096902
Also it depends on what you're buying. A 5 lbs statue will not cost as much as a Little Red Book. I've been multiple times to the Dontai road antique market in Shanghai (上海i东台路古玩市场), but that was a couple of years ago, and they were in the process of tearing down the neighbourhood at that time. It may no longer exist.
>>1096916
By the looks of it, dongtai road is no more:
>>1095067
white male - non native english speaker
3 year experience as technical designer / drawer
TEFL certificate
should I give up trying to become an english teacher in China ?
or is it possible
Want to live in Chengdu
>>1097139
Haha, well in China it's: white male > native speaker
>>1097139
>TEFL certificate
That's cool if you want to work at a good school or get a better job than most teachers but...do you have a degree?
I guess you don't or you'd have said it.
I meet teachers like you every day, they can survive here but they don't get the really good jobs. They're always having to watch out for being screwed over by schools.
It must be pretty easy to die in China, especially outside cities like Shanghai and Shenzhen, Guangzhou. If you don't have any westerners to help you and can't get a local chinese friend to help you, you're pretty much fucked.
Dying from something as simple as the flu or dysentery, lol, especially because Chinese hospitals are incompetent as fuck.
>>1097271
Thank you for your contribution.
>>1097208
No degree.
And the people you meet r they working legally?
Like 5 schools want me to come over on x2 visa because they cant fix a z visa . Because of my nationality .
Should i just do that ? The pay is arround 10k rmb + housing and stuff
>>1097278
It's illegal to teach on anything other than a Z visa. You're opening yourself up to getting caught in a police raid in the school, which I hear they're doing all over Chengdu now.
Also opening yourself up to get ripped off by your school or treated very poorly. I'd choose another country, like Cambodia or Vietnam.
>>1097271
Actually, my friend who had all his belongings stolen when he went swimming in the river in Yangshuo was helped out and given food by some homeless people, then the owners of one of the hostels let him help at the front desk in return for a bed and meals. He couldn't speak Mandarin.
>>1097345
>had all his belongings stolen when he went swimming in the river in Yangshuo
Yangshuo is a little infamous for robberies actually. It's literally the only place in China that I've heard of anyone experiencing violent crime. Some tourists were murdered and robbed on moon hill about fifteen years ago. It's still talked about.
>>1097286
some schools could get me an L visa - it's business .. is that illegal too then ?
>>1097466
>some schools could get me an L visa - it's business .. is that illegal too then ?
L visa is a tourist visa and yes it's illegal.
M visa is a business visa and that's illegal to teach English with. I think the Shenzhen schools that employ you in Hong Kong and have you teach in China as a 'consultant' on an M visa are probably being illegal though I guess it's a grey area. You'd probably end up being deported if they cracked down. Grey areas are only ok in China if authorities feel like tolerating them. Try telling police in China that something they don't like is technically legal and see how far you get.
I will visit Hongkong, and I need help with certain scenario which will occur:
>arrive at 8:00 PM (not airport, starting location is somewhere near the Kowloon)
>check-in at hotel is at 2:00 PM next day, sooner check-in not possible, changing dates not possible
>need to stay somewhere overnight (with luggages)
Any guesses where you would stay/wait/sleep overnight?
>>1098160
i'd stay in a 24 hour mcdonalds or other place if I didn't have a lot of luggage.
otherwise maybe stay in a dirt cheap hostel for a night
>>1098165
Eggcellent choice ;^)
>>1098165
>dirt cheap hostel for a night
There's not really such a thing, even tiny barracks style hostels in Chungking mansions are still HK$150/night. Probably cheap relative to the hotel though.
>>1098160
Anon, I'd drop luggage at the hotel ahead of time, that should be possible at least. Then hit up a party district and just go clubbing all night. In the morning, go to Victoria peak or something and nap in the park there with a great view.
>>1098160
My help would be PLAN BETTER NEXT TIME RETARD.
>>1096782
I would add some random places like Changsha (+Zhangjiajie's parks) or Chengdu with its food and pandas or Dali/Lijiang for its old town.
Sichuan and Hunan should be easier to get laid in than Yunnan, though.
>>1098160
C H U N G K I N G
H
U
N
K
I
N
G
..mansions
>no high speed trains in Chongqing or Chengdu
>>1099210
>no high speed trains in Chongqing or Chengdu
They're coming.
>>1099210
It's only a matter of time. Do you have any idea of the mammoth engineering task required to build these railway and highway lines? And trust me, that list is very long and includes loads of bridges in Sichuan and Chongqing.
According to this source:
>Like many of China's Westernmost highways, this extension from the G5 expressway came many years after the more populous cities had already been connected in northern and eastern Sichuan Province. The Kangding route was especially difficult to construct with an amazing 82% of the road on bridges or in tunnels.
(http://www.highestbridges.com/)
The same goes for rail as for road of course.
>>1099263
>loads of bridges in Sichuan and Chongqing.
Of course, our favourite city of Kunming has the same problems.
They're due to be connected via Guiyang in a year or two.
How do I distinguish between a chaste mother of three who is wearing a black see-through dress, a black mini-skirt, and black fishnet stockings and a slut (or prostitute) who is wearing a black see-through dress, a black mini-skirt, and black fishnet stockings?
I mean, this shit is confusing. What the fuck is wrong with Chinese morals?
>>1099294
Fashion and morals are mutually exclusive. Lose your Western preconceptions. Nevertheless, I'll be the first to agree that the Chinese currently have some of the most tacky taste when it comes to clothing. Give them a decade or two and they'll come around.
I personally would be more disturbed by an older (chaste) woman dressing like a slut than a young (promiscuous) one whom it would probably suit much better.
>>1099301
>Fashion and morals are mutually exclusive.
this. as far as chinese women are concerned, there's no correlation between the length of her skirt and her willingness to fuck.
>>1099294
On this, I saw a woman last night behind this construction wall. Nobody else was around. She was behind this construction wall, alone, playing with her phone with one hand, and she was wearing a tang top and a miniskirt. I've never seen a woman's belly in China before this. Was she a prostitute? I really can't tell if women are prostitutes in China because of the fashion. This was a secluded area. Hidden behind a construction wall.
>>1099311
what are you doing lurking behind construction walls you creepy perv
>>1099301
>more disturbed by an older (chaste) woman dressing like a slut
The number of grand mothers I've seen in leather miniskirts...
>>1099311
>Was she a prostitute?
The pros that I've seen that were definitely pros were generally wearing ordinary clothes.
>>1099311
I dunno where you've been, but when I was in China 1.5 years ago the crop top was very fashionable with younger girls in nightclubs.
>>1099333
>crop top was very fashionable with younger girls in nightclubs
I've seen plenty on younger girls anywhere but it's maybe a southern/summer thing. Haven't seen any for a while because I've been in the north in winter and girls with crop tops would probably die.
>>1099345
Hehe. I was in Beijing when I saw them the most, but it was also summertime.
I'm wondering why I haven't been able to get a steady Chinese gf or fuckbuddy after over a year of living in China.
I see beta, dorky white nerds with Chinese girlfriends all the time. I'm wondering what my possible problems could be. I'm fat/obese, so maybe that's one of them. Maybe the girls see my body and after we finish having sex, they get disgusted? My personality is also a bit autistic as well, so I don't have in depth or interesting conversations with girls.
Needless to say, I rarely see girls again after I have sex with them here. Yet I rarely see these white nerd types with extraordinary personalities, yet they always have a Chinese girlfriend. What's the deal?
>>1099610
Wait so let me get this straight, you're getting laid buy STILL coming here to complain about it?
Fuck off. And lose some weight.
>>1099635
You have to admit:
>I'm hideous but getting laid in X
Makes a nice change from
>how 2 get laid in X
>>1099642
Hehe, touché.
I'm going to be living in Guangzhou in a few months, and really have no idea what to expect. I've traveled lots, so I'm not worried about culture shock or anything, but mainly just quality of living.
I'll be living in Zhu Jiang New Town, specifically. Is this a good place to live? Hoping to be near at least one good gym, and some good bars, pubs, and hell, even nightclubs.
Is Guangzhou fuckexpensive?
>>1100734
That's the new CBD. It'll definitely be one of the more expensive parts of town.
>>1100734
>Zhu Jiang New Town
That's a pretty upmarket area, it's basically foreigner-central but the business foreigners, not English teachers and African/Indian traders.
There will be gyms, bars, nightclubs etc. Probably an Irish pub somewhere.
Sichuan is really boring. The stereotype of the girls being fiery/spicy, passionate, horny nymphos that want to fuck foreigners is bullshit. At least in 2016 -- maybe it was different a few years ago. There are already many foreigners here.
I found all the easy sluts in different cities.
That said, anyone know a good French or German restaurant in town?
>>1101053
Maybe you have to go to the mountains to find some fiery, passionate Tibetan chicks.
>>1101053
>The stereotype of the girls being fiery/spicy, passionate, horny nymphos that want to fuck foreigners is bullshit
That's basically true of everywhere people say that about.
I've heard that meme about half of the cities in the world.
HOW DO I STAY IN CHINA FOR 3 MONTHS ??
apparrntly belgium consulate gives only 30 days on a L ( tourist ) visa
i can fix an invitation letter and all that jazz
but do i need to apply for L visa ? or personal visa whatever that is
or Non-business F visa ???
can someone help me out on this ?? !!
>>1102531
Eh, normally you just have to go to a public security bureau in any major city in China and they will renew your tourist visa beyond the initial stay period. You can normally repeat this process several times. I stayed in China for 5 months after entering with a 3 month visa.
That said, I was under the impression that most nationalities could obtain a 3 month (or more) tourist visa.
>>1102556
and from where are you
>>1102585
Switzerland
Visas over here used to have more restrictions. I think they changed in 2013, but even before then you could already get a 3 month tourist visa.
Listen, I don't remember all the intricacies of it, but the Chinese bureaucracy is completely anal about travel plans for tourists in the country. I figure if you are just a backpacker or someone with no fixed itinerary you could just lie concerning your whereabouts. There are probably some good guides online explaining the best ways to go about doing that.
>>1102531
My suggestion for you is to go to a travel agency and have them handle this shit.
Chinese bureaucracy, as >>1102619 said is a pain in the ass.
You could buy disposable tickets and hotel reservations or just fake them and send with your application, but it's probably easier having a middle man who's used to dealing with their system and knows how to do it.
>>1102531
>apparrntly belgium consulate gives only 30 days
That's weird but there are two sets of rules.
One is the official policy from on high, that says that 90 day visas are a thing.
Then there are the operational rules which are different for different consulates and get changed all the time, they have to obey the big rules but they can tighten them up. These are the rules that say that you need itineraries etc and apparently that the Belgian consulate can only give 30 days.
What to do depends on your plans and intentions. If you're going to backpack around China, I suggest that you fly to Hong Kong, get a visa there from a travel agent (next day, no documents, same price as Belgium probably) and then go do whatever in China. You could buy a one-way flight back to HK when you're done and then catch your return flight from HK to home.
If you want to fly into China then see a travel agent where you are and get them to arrange it. If you have no idea of the beuracracy already then I wouldn't try navigating it, it's clearly not designed to let you have that visa where you are.
A personal visit visa might be worth a shot but I can't tell you shit about them.
>>1103223
>CTrip also works well if you want to buy train tickets
That's true, I just don't like their delivery charge. I use them for finding good trains all the time though, I just tend to go into a booking office and buy the ticket I found directly though.
Booking offices are easy to find on baidu maps on my phone, just search for train tickets in Chinese (火车票) and they'll be shown on the map.
>>1099210
Wait, what? There are a few high speed trains to Chengdu and Chongqing. Not as many as eastern cities, but they're there. I'm pretty sure you can take a high speed train to Shanghai from Chengdu, and I've taken the high speed train from Chengdu to Chongqing a few times.
>>1101053
If you're in Chengdu, just go to Jellyfish. You can find plenty of Chinese girls to fuck.
And I don't remember of any good French or German restaurants there, but I never looked. Check out ChengduLiving or GoChengdoo, they might have one. On a completely useless note, the Indian restaurant across the street from the Bookworm is excellent (but pricey, for China).
>>1103251
Kissless virgin who got laid in China here. It's always doable.
The fuck is up with the Chinese bald spot? Even I caught one, and I've only been here for half a year. Is it the diet? Every male student I walk behind has the same bare patch of scalp in the same place. It is freaky. I was starting to believe everyone in the world had it (including myself before arriving in China), but then I saw one kid (out of a group of three) who had not contracted it.
Seriously, what the fuck.
>>1103235
Jellyfish is a meme bar now. It's full of foreigners who all heard the same thing, and very little number of Chinese girls. The few ones that do come have been passed around the block and jump on foreign cock to foreign cock. Also, in the bigger nightclubs, the hot Chinese girls are shy to go home with foreigners because the males are watching them, and sometimes interfere or cockblock you.
Anyway, I finally got laid. but it took like 3-4 weeks. Pretty shitty, I've been laid faster in tier 1 cities with more competition.
>>1103313
Living in China will take years off your life. Pollution and poor food safety.
I'm going to stay between 1 month to 2 years in China depending of my mood, but I want to play Mahjong anyway since I love money games.
I read there are variants depending on regions, but is it true ? Can't I just play the standard one or ask them if they agree on those rules ?
I'll be mostly in Kunming.
>>1103384
Pretty much this.
Although "pollution and poor food safety" is a massive under-statement.
It's no surprise the rich people get their kids out.
>get home from work
>fucking exhausted
>think "why am I so tired? I slept well last night and today wasn't even stressful"
>look out the window
>can barely see across the street
>think "I need to get the fuck out"
>>1103679
>Gambling is illegal (go to Macau or Burma)
>Only old people play Majiang
>Underground dens will either never accept you or will try their very best to fuck you over, that's if you even manage to find them
Now, since you're going to be in Kunming it actually would be rational to try the Burmese option.
From first hand experience I can say that it's extremely easy to cross the border illegally, which I did from the town of Ruili by barge. I also met an Australian who hadn't been allowed to leave Burma because he didn't have an """"exit visa"""" and should have taken the bus all the way back to Mandalay. Instead he just walked around the border outpost and nobody stopped him.
>>1103679
> I want to play Mahjong anyway since I love money games.
You would be a fool to play in illegal dens but plenty of old folk play for small change and even my in-laws play for money at CNY.
Look for small places with a bunch of old folk in small communities, they probably be happy to take your money.
Just learn the Kunming house rules, probably not too different.
>>1103707
Smuggling yourself into Burma doesn't sound like a really good idea.
>>1103957
Bureaucracy doesn't function in third world countries; nothing to worry about. I did it that way because getting a visa would have been extremely inconvenient for me at the time.
Perhaps there's a simple, obvious answer but in all my travels I've never seen a group so obsessed with Duty Free shopping than the Chinese. What's up with that?
>>1104512
I think part of the answer is that duty free has always been associated with luxury and the Chinese nouveau riches are some of the biggest snobs ever; that is what attracts them to it.
>>1104530
>Chinese nouveau riches are some of the biggest snobs ever
Chinese also love bargains so duty free ticks that box as well.
It's basically a slightly cheaper way to get fancy luxury items.
Anyone have a Playstation or Xbox in China? How does that work? Any tips for getting one/getting games? In English.
>>1105797
>Anyone have a Playstation or Xbox in China? How does that work?
No but they do exist. Xbox gold is shit though because most of the games are b& in China because they were never submitted to the censors. Therefore, xbox gold is free because you don't really get anything much on it. That's all I know about it.
I'm sure offline stuff works fine and you can probably actually play stuff you buy on DVD/blueray ok even if it's online.
>>1105797
>Anyone have a Playstation or Xbox in China?
Come to think of it, I've been through a lot of tech markets and not seen any stores full of xboxs and playstations the way that western games stores are.
I did just stick xbox/playstation into taobao.com though and there were heaps for sale.
My buddy and I are doing Shanghai, Macau, Hong Kong, Haikou. Tickets and hotels alrdy booked.
Any clubs you recommend? We got da monney but ain't no bitchboiz paying for shitty BJs nawmsayin. Or did we cum to the wrong cunt-tree for this shit
>>1105860
>bitchboiz
>nawmsayin
>cum
>cunt-tree
I'll refer you to Rule 6 of 4chan.
anyone here been to shaanxi province?
can't get enough of the food there. amazing. it tastes completely different than what you get in shanghai, hong kong, taiwan, etc. very spicy and distinctive taste
>>1106021
Really? My experience has always been:
> irrespective of the province most places are shit
>some are decent
>some dishes are reliably (almost) always good
>some dishes are reliably (stinky tofu) always disgusting
>on the whole Chinese food isn't very good and the first thing I long for once I've been in the country for a month+ is some pasta/burger/pizza.
I also cannot stand Asian coriander, which makes some dishes problematic.
>>1106037
food in southern parts of china (hong kong, shanghai, guangdong, etc.) are very different from central / northern parts.
the fake chinese food you find in the US and Canada are inspired by southern chinese food. i honestly cant stand it. its all sweet, sticky, stinky, etc.
if you get the chance, go to Xian in Shaanxi, find a good restaurant, try some of the authentic local food there. shaanxi's noodles are very very good. the BBQ kabobs are delicious too. especially if you like to eat spicy.
>>1106037
i honestly dont understand the appeal of pasta/burger/pizza. they're good for filling you up when you're hungry, but they're by no means delicious. there is no taste. the only thing you can taste other than the meat is ketchup/mustard
>>1106068
>no taste
Wat? That doesn't make any sense. There must be something like 10'000+ recipes for all the pasta/pizza/burger variants in the world.
The way I see it, the only food people don't ever get sick of is their momma's cooking. Now I never grew up on Chinese food. From personal experience I know that I reach a tolerance roughly around the 1 month mark, at which point I need to eat something different. It doesn't have to be pasta, pizza, burger; any Western fare will do. I once went on a binge and had Bigmacs for lunch about 2 weeks in a row. That's how much I began to hate Chinese food.
>>1106021
Hello, Shaanxi Tourist Board
>>1106021
I've been there several times, it's ok but I wasn't blown away by the food.
They do like their garlic though.
Been out of China for a few years, what's the cost of living like these days?
Could live cheap as fuark in 2011-2012, but I hear it's got more expensive.
I miss Shanghai ;_;
>>1106823
Even if major cities are too costly, you can always live cheap as fuark in 3rd and 4th tier cities.
>>1106836
Don't remember many 2nd or 3rds I'd actually want to live in, though. Hangzhou was decent, but gets flooded with screaming Shanghainese tourists in the summer.
Always aimed to get a job back there- I think like 3 people in my class in college (I studied Chinese) got jobs, but the rest of us all fell for the 'omg youll get any job you want with Mandarin' meme.
Still though, going back to drill up my mandarin would be pretty good in a good 2nd-tier city. Any suggestions?
>>1106854
>in a good 2nd-tier city
Everyone loves Kunming, I like Ningbo. It has nice weather and is pretty clean and still has all the international stuff that you want. A good fake-Irish pub included.
Wenzhou has its charm. Chongqing is polluted but pretty cool except for that.
Hangzhou is pretty nice but downtown is packed all year round. Suzhou is a quieter verson if it maybe.
>>1107052
I haven't visited either, but I've heard that Xiamen and Qingdao are some of the nicest Chinese cities to live in.
>>1107062
>Xiamen and Qingdao
Haven't visited Qingdao but I've heard the same about it.
Xiamen is nice in parts, the mainland part of it is a shithole but the island is nice near the water. A bit small but ok. It's changed a lot in the last five or ten years and most of the guidebooks and stuff are out of date, especially about which ferry ports do what.
It has a tiny little pocket of western bars which has a pretty cool mexican cantina run by an actual mexican and his USA wife. So you can at least get burritos in Xiamen and Pina Coladas too.
>>1107072
Qingdao is expensive af. So is Xiamen somewhat, I think.
>>1106823
Yeah, you won't be able to live in Shanghai cheaply anymore. Ditto for Beijing and Shenzhen. I think Guangzhou is still possible. It's a shame, the golden days are gone. What was SH like back then? I didn't get on to the scene until 2013, back when it was just starting to change (for the worst.)
So, I keep seeing this meme about bringing computers onto a plane when you are flying to China. I just don't see how this could work. First off, why would TSA allow a big bulky piece of machinery through customs? Secondly, why would the plane allow it on-board? I've never seen anyone carry a small TV onto a plane, so how could you expect to bring something three/four times as big.
So how do I get my computer from America to China if I make the move without it breaking?
>>1107128
:::::______:::.....
You put it in the fucking suitcase and hope nothing breaks. You remove components from the motherboard or fit polystyrene or bubble wrap to fill all the spaces.
Or, you just don't take your PC with you.
>>1107146
Yeah, that is something different. People keep going on about bringing their computer AS A FUCKING CARRY-ON.
So, I have an offer in Pudong, Shanghai, but everyone keeps telling me Shanghai is crazy expensive.
Housing/Retirement/Medical and starting at 27,000 RMB a month, but every year the salary is bumped up (i.e. after fifteen years it is 44.000 RMB)
What are your thoughts on this?
>>1107388
>I'm heading to China to teach in the fall. What are some popular/rare American gifts I should bring for my chink coworkers, friends, etc.
Butter-fingers?
Vicks Vaporub
Those are the two things that recently got requested of people heading home on short breaks here.
Bring some large packs of aspirin and paracetamol, those are hard to get as pure tablets here, they usually have anti-biotics or caffeine mixed with them.
>>1107557
>Housing/Retirement/Medical
You're probably never going to be able to claim the retirement.
That seems very good though.
>>1107557
what's the job
>>1107557
Shanghai is crazy expensive in certain areas, but you can still find affordable housing.
I don't quite follow however -- are you saying housing/medical/retirement are covered by your employer? 27k is heaps in that case.
what the fuck is up with the fucking VISUM ??
i'm from belgium and i try to travel in china for like at least 4 months , why the fuck even bother for less ..
and I only get like 30 days with 2 entries ??
if i want another fucking visum i need to fcking leave china borders ( not even going to hong kong or anything ) but like go to bangkok or whatever, this costs insanely fucking much money ...
how do you fuckers manage the visum shit ???
>>1107734
what do you do in china for 4 months?
Can I travel in China with a vibrator in my checked bag?
Last time I was flying in China, they made me take out my portable power charger.
Since the vibrator is USB powered, I would think the same thing goes. Please help!
>>1102531
not sure if this helps but for me I lived right by the hong kong border so just by going through the border and coming back would renew my entry period.
>>1107818
No. You'll have to smuggle it up your ass.
>>1107831
good job.
Still looking for other suggestions...
>>1107734
>not even going to hong kong or anything
You can get new tourist visas in Hong Kong. People do it all the time.
>>1107818
Buy another in China
>>1107902
well that's what the lady said at the embassady and the lady at the consular thingy .
so i believed them ..
so I can just go to Hong Kong , and get another 30 days ? or more ..
>>1107557
>>1107077
>>1107052
>>1106823
I found this cool website. Although it's not completely accurate for certain things, I think it does a good job at showing which cities are more expensive than others.
Hey everyone, I work half-time in China (the other half in Europe, just regular import/export shit), so nothing really bothers me on my side, I have a business visa and so on.
Now the thing is, my gf wants to go to Japan. I have suggested her that Air China ticket that also includes Beijing before going straightforward to Tokyo. So the drill is to let her visit Beijing for a short time (around 3 days).
I'm asking whether the 72 hours transit visa fast and easy to get at the airport, or should I just get her a regular short tourist visa before coming? I think 3 days it's okay-ish to have a very quick sneak a peek, but it's obviously not enough, and anyway, her main destination is Japan, so I guess we wouldn't want to stay too long in Beijing. I just want to show her how I live in Beijing, and some cool stuff around. Oh and Chinese food.
Someone told me it's extremely long to get the 72h visa at the airport, that's why I am asking.
>>1107062
>>1107072
I grew up in Qingdao (dad worked there as an expat), and I fucking loathe that place. Yeah, Badaguan and Laoshan nice, but that's it. Food is overpriced and shit. It's a dead place.
I guess it's not the same when you have lived in that boring place for around 6 years of your life than having a quick 3 days tour.
>>1108100
>I found this cool website
There's a similar one for Europe that I can't remember the name of, really good for deciding whether to bum around in Poland or Prague and stuff like that.
>>1108193
>how much do kung fu lessons cost in china?
Good luck even finding them. They exist but it's nearly as popular as you'd think. Lots of kids might do a bit of Kung Fu in school in PE class but that's about all that anyone does.
There are a few schools around but they're actually about as uncommon as in the west.
I can't say for sure because I've never found one but I'd expect about Y100 a class or something.
Friend of mine just invited me on a 10 day trip to China, in less than a fucking month. Any itinerary suggestions? Beijing - Xi'an - Shanghai?
I have never traveled abroad before (American citizen) and I have a very stupid question. Do I have to apply for a visa to visit China for tourist stuff, or do they approve me at the airport when I land?
>>1109487
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_United_States_citizens
you need a tourist visa
>>1109476
>Friend of mine just invited me on a 10 day trip to China, in less than a fucking month. Any itinerary suggestions? Beijing - Xi'an - Shanghai?
Why not ask them what their itinerary is, given that they invited you.
I'd do Beijing - Xi'an - Chongqing - Dali/Lijiang - Kunming - (fly) - Guangzhou.
High speed trains except for the last bit. Fly home from Kunming if you can but you probably can't so go to Guangzhou and fly home from there.
I don't have time to get a visa, so should I just visit Thailand and Cambodia instead of Hong Kong and Macau?
So do I really need to show a hotel reservation for every day I visit for the visa? I know I can just pick hotels you're able to cancel for free but it's still a hassle.
>>1109626
Hong Kong and Macau are special administrative regions. You don't need a Chinese visa to visit them. Depending on your nationality you should be able to visit those places for a number of days or even weeks without much hassle.
Hooking up with white girls in China?
>>1109769
Just as difficult as hooking up with white girls in the West.
Hooking up with Chinese girls on the other hand...
>>1109626
>I don't have time to get a visa
>Hong Kong
You probably don't need a visa for those places and in Hong Kong, you can easily get a next day visa from a travel agent for mainland China anyway.
>>1109638
>So do I really need to show a hotel reservation for every day I visit for the visa? I know I can just pick hotels you're able to cancel for free but it's still a hassle.
Yes, though overnight trains count too.
It's a hassle, welcome to China.
What are some large tier 2 or 3 cities that are hardly known to foreigners?
Even a random shithole like Zhengzhou has foreigners. Mostly fucked up English teachers, but still.
>>1109840
>Guiyang
>Nanning
>Lanzhou
>Wuhan
>Changsha
>Hefei
>Shijiazhuang
>Taiyuan
>Shenyang
>Changchun
>Nanchang
>Urumqi
I'm sure at least one or two of these cities would fit your description.
>>1109840
>What are some large tier 2 or 3 cities that are hardly known to foreigners?
>large tier 2 or 3 cities
>hardly known to foreigners
If they were hardly known to foreigners, then we wouldn't know them.
Of the list here: >>1109841 , I've been all except three. Some of them are definitely thick with foreigners, a couple aren't.
Tier 3 cities are not big, by definition. They do tend to have less foreigners though.
Maybe you'd like Ordos? When I was there, my friends told me there were about two actual foreigners living in the city, both teachers.
Most decent tier 2 cities will have about 20k-40k+ foreigners, even obscure ones. Wuhan probably has the highest population on that list, it has so many foreigners that there is no community of them because they hang out in unrelated groups by themselves instead of getting together and mixing.
Changsha has a fair few but they have a tight little community of foreign students and teachers which is easy to get into.
Taiyuan has a decent crowd, they meet around a few bars and play pool.
Urumqi used to be popular with backpackers but it's harder to get into now so that will reduce the numbers.
Lanzhou is probably reasonably obscure, I only met one Russian backpacker there but I was only there a few days.
>>1109840
You haven't said what you want to do so we can't really give you advice. It doesn't sound like you want to teach so what do you plan on doing in the city?
>>1109878
>harder to get into now
What happened to Urumqi?
I never had any trouble getting into any major Xinjiang city. Certain parts of the countryside are essentially out of bounds to foreigners (I learnt this the hard way) but I was never bothered when in town.
i'm wondering in 2016: is mainland china still a good place to find a wife?
heard all the stories how easy chinese girls are if u are a tall "aryan" looking foreigner, but the goal usually seems to be fucking as many random girls as possible.
whats the general chinese attitude on getting serious with foreingers? is it like japan/korea where this can be a big problem "dishonoring the family" and shit?
>>1109878
Which ones were "thick with foreigners"?
Which ones did you not go to.
>>1109922
some families are against their daughters marrying foreigners,
marriage doesn't mean anything in china/east asia. your wife will probably end up cheating on you, especially if you bring her back to your home country. chink girls are modernized sluts these days.
what you're looking for is probably still in vietnam or thailand.
Hey guys. So I’m being offered an internship in hong kong for 6-8 weeks over the summer under the stipulation that I pay for my room and board. Are there any cheap extended stay places with access to public transport? Also, anything important to know about hong kong in general? Places to go, things to see? Thanks!
>>1109937
>Which ones were "thick with foreigners"?
Wuhan has tens of thousands of foreigners. I think there are over 100k foreigners there by some count I read.
>>1109937
>Which ones did you not go to.
I haven't been to:
>Shijiazhuang
>Changchun
>Urumqi
>>1109919
>I never had any trouble getting into any major Xinjiang city
I've heard of Urumqi being off limits occasionally, I haven't experienced it personally though. It might depend on what is going down at the time.
>>1109922
>i'm wondering in 2016: is mainland china still a good place to find a wife?
If you have to go to China to find a wife then you might still have trouble in China.
Some families will be against it, plenty aren't. I haven't actually seen anyone that wanted a serious relationship not be able to have one though.
>>1109940
>marriage doesn't mean anything in china/east asia. your wife will probably end up cheating on you
That couldn't be further from the truth. Marriage means a lot to people and cheating is a big deal. It still happens a fair bit but that's partly because people spend so much time apart from their family for work etc. In stable relationships where people are together, it's not that common I don't think. No more than anywhere else anyway.
>>1109950
>So I’m being offered an internship in hong kong for 6-8 weeks over the summer under the stipulation that I pay for my room and board. Are there any cheap extended stay places with access to public transport?
That sounds like a terrible deal but assuming you want it...check craigslist, there are often foreigners looking to share apartments. Just check the suburb on google maps to see if it will work for you.
e.g. http://hongkong.craigslist.hk/roo/5550908585.html
>>1109940
> your wife will probably end up cheating on you
because there is a general unique to china culture of cheating and not wanting to stick with one guy?
or just because they modernize (which local girls from my country definitely already are)? in this case it wouldn't really make a difference...
> what you're looking for is probably still in vietnam or thailand.
i'm really into white northeast-asian looking girls ;)
i know there are also some in SEA that have those looks but in addition to the foreigners all the rich local guys are after them, so it would be quite unnecessary competition (vs just to going to china where most girls look they way i like).
It's impossible to teach English in Tibet right?
>>1109953
> If you have to go to China to find a wife then you might still have trouble in China.
theres not really a ton of chinese QTs in my country and the ones i see are usually married to white guys. so instead of hitting on the few chinese university students or tourists that come here i thought it would make more sense to go to china myself.
> I haven't actually seen anyone that wanted a serious relationship not be able to have one though.
sounds good, problems im thinking of though (dont know how real they are):
- even tough i turn 30 this year i look like early 20s, so most girls will assume i just want to fuck around and not really be serious about marriage
- speak only very basic mandarin
- can only go there 6 to 8 weeks on holiday
i feel like i need a better plan than just flying to some random chinese city, be outside alot and see where it goes QT wise...
>>1109973
>- even tough i turn 30 this year i look like early 20s, so most girls will assume i just want to fuck around and not really be serious about marriage
>- speak only very basic mandarin
>- can only go there 6 to 8 weeks on holiday
You need to become one of the terrible English teachers, this will be ok for you because you sound like a terrible person and will fit in just fine.
>>1109953
you must be naive or something. I hear about chinese girls cheating constantly. my white friends and ABC friends alike here all say that chinese girls are huge whores, and marriage doesn't mean shit to them. they all have tales of sleeping with married women or girls with boyfriends here. hell, I've slept with a few older women as well that may or may not have been married.
>>1109973
I've tried having serious relationships with chinese girls. it's not easy. most of them will use you for sex or a quick fling if you're white. they don't consider you serious, most of them only consider chinese guys as marriage material. sad but true
>>1110199
>most of them will use you for sex or a quick fling if you're white. they don't consider you serious
Maybe you're just not marriage material.
My relationships have all been serious.
>ordered starbucks home delivery
>it cost 300 RMB
>>1110271
>not using Sherpa delivery from local coffee shop
You asked for it, comrade.
went to china on a q1 visa last year. it was the first time i traveled outside canada on my own. fucked it all up on the first day. i didnt know to register as a temporary resident. end up being charged with visa overstay. what should i do? i still need to go back, probably banned though right?
>>1110391
>end up being charged with visa overstay
>probably banned
Maybe, maybe not. I overstayed by a day and wasn't b&.
If you can show that it was an accident then you probably won't have a problem but I can't understand how not registering temporary residency leads to visa overstay. The two are quite different things. I think that there's something you aren't telling us.
>>1110271
>300RMB
A coffee costs 30RMB, how did you get it delivered? Flown from Beijing by secure courier?
I cannot understand how you could possibly run up that kind of bill for delivery. I once paid for some Indian that charged 20RMB each way for delivery and then slapped something extra on for the trouble. That was expensive but still only about 50RMB.
>>1110683
>i can't understand how not registering temporary residency leads to visa overstay
apparently it does. if youre in china and havent registered as a temporary resident within 30 days, your visa is considered expired. doesnt matter whether you're a tourist, teacher, visiting family, or business.
each day you stay after that you get charged 500RMB, to a limit of 10000 RMB.
if you overstay for over (i think 6 months), you get detained for 5-15 days
>>1110827
>doesnt matter whether you're a tourist, teacher, visiting family, or business
You're wrong about that. Kind of.
What you're showing there is a condition of the Q1 visa. Business visas (M) and tourist visas (L) don't have that condition.
People on those visas are still required to register temporary residence but that's usually done by the hotel/hostel when you check-in. If you stay in private residences then those people are still supposed to register. Tourists don't usually stay in private residences and business people who do probably have it handled by their business etc. Still, you have to go to the police station within 48 hours (72 in rural areas) of residing somewhere other than a hotel/hostel. It's on the back of the entrance/exit card in really big letters.
I know that most Chinese that I've stayed with think it's a joke and told me not to bother but I have heard of it being an issue. I definitely register where I live now and have to do it every time I leave the country. Technically, I probably have to do it again after every time that I stay in a hotel as well but that seems to be a grey area.
>>1111072
>most Chinese that I've stayed with think it's a joke and told me not to bother
i've seen that card you're referring to. the card didnt state anything about Q1 visas, so i kinda just missed it. one of my friends actually looked at my passport and pointed out the registering thing, but like you said, someone said to not even bother with it. i listened and paid a huge fucking price
>>1110684
I ordered 3 large drinks and a bunch of pastries. A large specialty drink like a green tea frappe with whip cream or whatever is about 50 RMB a pop. Starcucks is fucking expensive here.
>>1111167
>3 large drinks and a bunch of pastries
>A large specialty drink like a green tea frappe with whip cream or whatever is about 50 RMB a pop
Closer to 35RMB usually though I guess some are a little more.
Cakes and pastries are about 20-30RMB so basically you ordered 100RMB of drinks and even more of pastries and then were surprised when it added up to a total?
The drinks are about $6-8 each anyway the pastries about the same and you ordered a bunch and somehow the total order was what, $80 including delivery? What did you expect?
>>1100734
Same as you anon. You an expat or teacher?
My. Company doesn't provide housing but they pay and translate for me once I find somewhere to stay. Did you find your apartment or was it provided?
Flying into Beijing early next month and have ten days until my research program starts in Xi'an. I'll spend about three or four days in Beijing before heading out.
Not huge into sightseeing checklists. I thought about Datong and Pingyao. Pingyao seems a little corny after reading about it.
Anyone been to Ordos City? Any other suggestions of interesting places for photography or exploring between Beijing and Xi'an (besides Huashan)?
>>1113409
>Pingyao seems a little corny after reading about it.
That's fair. It's a 'genuine' old town though and people still live there. It's just full of shops catering to tourists and tourists buying 'traditional Pingyao salted beef' and stuff.
I've been to Ordos, it has two cities in it. Dongsheng doesn't have much to say for it, it's just an Inner Mongolian city with better air than most of the cities in the area. It would be a tier 3 I guess, nice enough. 3xMcDonalds, 2xStarbucks,0xWalmart,0xMetro
The other city in Ordos is Kangbashi New Area which is the 'ghost town' that the documentary was about. Every building that's finished is inhabited of course but the occupancy is low. There's a big highway connecting them that is mostly empty.
I had fun riding a bike around the roads but I was rarely totally alone, there's usually a few street-sweepers and cars.
I've read about people doing some crazy urbex there but I didn't feel like doing any and I wouldn't risk your research program with a possible arrest.
>>1095067
I know it's pretty early to ask, but will travel be visa-free to US citizens for the 2022 winter Olympics?
Missed my opportunity for visa-free travel to Belarus ;-;
>first five months in china
>do not even look at mcdonalds or kfc
>have mcdonalds one day to celebrate my birthday
>three months later i am having mcdonalds two/three times a week, and i cannot stop
I was doing so well! You have to believe me!
So, my university has been paying me an extra 3,000 RMB for the last couple of months, and I am a little confused.
There has been no mention of this, and I am afraid of mentioning it in-case it is a typo. The school really likes me, and they seem to be afraid of losing me. I am the only foreign teacher here.
I started receiving these "bonuses" after I sent an email, which said (with Chinese subtlety) if blah blah isn't fixed, I will not remain at the school. Blah blah was fixed within two days, and I have been receiving 3,000 RMB ever since.
Has anyone heard of/had something similar happen to them before?
>>1113479
Who knows. Chances are, though, they'll force you to book your Olympics trip with specially accredited travel agencies (lodging, travel itinerary out of your hands) if you want to get in visa-free.
>>1113451
Travelled china for 5 and a half months, Pingyao is actually fucking great, get up in the morning and do a lap of the old walls then walk into the center of town at 10am as the tourists arrive,then wait until they leave and watch the town transform back into a normal place.
>>1113551
>Has anyone heard of/had something similar happen to them before?
No, that sounds pretty cool.
I guess the school isn't shit?
>>1113566
>Travelled china for 5 and a half months, Pingyao is actually fucking great
I travelled for a year but Pingyao was a late evening stopover from Taiyuan after the Chao family compound and the tunnel 'fortress', it was about 6pm and raining when we got there. The girl I was with was a Chinese foodie so we bought the local salted meats which she had already researched but there wasn't really anything open except for the shops.
It would have been cool to stay in one of the hostels in the old town but we were booked into a hotel in Taiyuan.
>>1113599
I missed that you're teaching at a university. Universities are usually much, much better employers than private schools. It sounds like you still have some good people in charge of you though.
>Leave for Beijing in just over a month
>still haven't applied for my visa
It doesn't help that my university only gave us the invitation letter and itinerary two days ago.
>Have been accepted to work at a senior high school in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province
>Completely baffled
I have a few questions /trv/, can anyone provide me with any information on what its like to live in Wuxi? I was sort of hoping for Nanjing, but the British Council has allocated me this place and tbf it doesn't phase me much. Could anyone give me any tips on negotiating my contract? Lastly, will senior high students force me to become a dancing monkey/ cause significant stress?
>>1113799
>one month to get visa
That's ok, should be fine. It usually takes 2-3 days and you can pay for rush service which isn't a whole lot.
>>1113846
>what its like to live in Wuxi?
Nanjing would have been much nicer imo but Wuxi is ok I guess. It's a tier 3 city, not an enormous amount of foreign presence but it has Carrefour supermarkets so you can get buy western stuff, there's always taobao/jindong for the rest.
There's a bar street in the old town which has some good night life and that has a few bars where foreigners go. Wuxi also has the Red Lion which is the pub where you'll really mix with foreigners when you want to. Try their grasshopper milkshake, it's really good. Their food isn't bad either though I thought their curry was overrated.
There's another place, I think it's called Blue Iguana or something, which has great food, nicer than Red Lion but it's an upmarket restaurant-bar rather than pub so you mix with people less. I've had some good nights there though.
There are a lot of foreign factories there so you'll find engineers and managers around the place. There's a small group of Basque County engineers making train parts for their coop and various Italians running some kind of automotive engine factory.
I think you can be pretty happy in Wuxi and it's close to Shanghai if you want a holiday.
>>1113846
>will senior high students force me to become a dancing monkey/ cause significant stress?
That depends entirely on the high school. I know high schools where the students are arrested/expelled if they fight and they never, ever talk back to teachers. Others are non-stop riots where nobody really learns anything.
>>1113857
>Others are non-stop riots where nobody really learns anything.
I can vouch for this. While not what the anon was trying to say, there are shit load of gangs in Chinese high schools. You think of Chinese students as being diligent and perfect, but that is only because China only shows you (news) the perfect students, you only see the best of China in the form of international students.
Mind you, that is not to say you will have an awful experience. You may have a very standard class, which will either be playful or diligent depending on your mannerism. Just be aware that it can be wild.
How is vaccination/healthcare in China?
I'm heading to work in Guangzhou but I'm not able to get all of my vaccinations before I go.
If gz region is shit for this, how is Hong Kong?
I've traveled this area before and I'm not that picky but this move is more or less permanent and I want to head out on the countryside so I felt it necessary.
>>1113926
>How is vaccination/healthcare in China?
It's highly variable and how much you spend will make a difference up to a point.
There are expensive world-class hospitals with foreign doctors. Some of their drugs are still bought on the Chinese market though and that means that there are fake drugs and/or legit drugs that have been shipped and stored at room temperature and have become useless but no one knows.
A gang and an incompetent distributor doing this were busted last year (we just found out a month ago though, it got covered up) so it's probably a bit better than it used to be.
Still, for vaccinations, I'd consider going to HK. You can get a ferry or train from GZ anyway and HK is always fun to visit.
>>1113928
Alright, yeah I heard stories about Chinese healthcare and it seems quite shitty. My HK friends keeps telling me their pharmacies are getting raided by hordes of mainlanders.
Cheers, I'll have a look at the HK clinics!.
>>1113929
>their pharmacies are getting raided by hordes of mainlanders
And their everything else too.
Mainlanders don't trust their supply chain, for pretty good reasons. So they do what you're going to do and go to HK for things.
My contract ends with a public school at the end of June. When should I ask the school for a contract renewal? This is my first year in China, so I don't know what's best.
I'm just about as ignorant of China as you get. I've studied enough Korean Hanja and Japanese Kanji that I probably won't swallow anything marked poisonous but that's beside the point. I want to just dive in, go to Beijing Language and Culture University and pick everything up there in country. Money is basically a non-issue.
Is BLCU a respectable school? Is getting the necessary visas and everything a terrible process? Basically, please tell me why this is a bad idea.
>>1113998
>Is BLCU a respectable school? Is getting the necessary visas and everything a terrible process? Basically, please tell me why this is a bad idea.
No real reason why it won't work, never heard of BLCU but that doesn't mean anything, there are lots of universities.
Beijing is kind of awful though, you might look for somewhere decent in another city.
>>1113998
Did you jump on the ol' "Mandarin is the language to learn for business and the future!" bandwagon? You're a couple years too late, kiddo.
You won't enjoy life in Beijing/probably all of China, that much is true.
>>1095294
How long can the Chinese people tolerate this?
>>1095798
>Their 'artistic' font is hard to read
I only know Japanese kanji and I can read all of those. What makes it so hard to read them?
>>1114020
>You're a couple years too late, kiddo.
What's your problem dude?
Couple of years late?
I'm not sure what you're getting at.
If it's a case of being welcome as a foreigner in China then we're not 2 years later but more like 8 years late (propaganda machine worked its magic in the lead-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics). In fact, the further back you go in time the more the Chinese would adulate foreigners.
If it's a case of picking up Mandarin early so that you can benefit in business, well news flash for you: you're 2 decades late.
But of course, if you picked up the language 10 years, 5 years, 2 years or 2 months ago, it's still better than never learning it. And proficiency in a language comes second to the social and business skills that actually allow you to take advantage of it in a foreign land or with their people.
So anyway, he's not a couple of years too late.
>>1114023
They don't tolerate it. They accept it. Not the same thing.
>>1096875
Make sure you drink plenty of water and eat lots of salt! Or you'll die of dehydration in a foreign country!
>>1096883
Violent crime is extremely low.
Every other dangerous thing is breddy high, e.g., car crashes, pollution, arbitrary imprisonment, food safety, extortion, etc.
>>1097139
Get a degree!
>>1097271
pic related
inb4 #NotAllHans
>>1098160
Drop your luggage off at the hotel and stay up all night drinking and hiring girlfriends.
>>1096875
>>1114026
In some FamilyMarts and 7/11s you can buy Ionized alkaline water. Don't really know if it's a meme or not but it can't hurt to try.
>>1099294
China doesn't have morals, it has culture and tradition.
>>1099610
"The West is corrupted by promiscuity and degeneracy," is one of the few memes that are actually true.
Brand name electronics in China, where to find it?
I'm an artist hired by a company in Gaungzhou region. I can't bring my tech stuff here and shipping is expensive as fuck. But I still need a workstation in my home. Where could I go to find brand name stuff?
I'm looking for a new case, motherboard with the usual shit, professional grade monitor and some minor stuff. I'll yank my harddrives and my peripherals with me together with some laptop for temporary use.
>>1114030
Reading this I'm getting worried online stores would fuck me out of cash regularly. Do I have to find a store somewhere?
>>1114020
>Did you jump on the ol' "Mandarin is the language to learn for business and the future!" bandwagon?
Nope I just like language and travel. Already know a few dialects of Arabic, Korean, Spanish, and ASL. Chinese seemed like a good enough next step, I still have my GI Bill so I figured I should do it in a school setting.
Where can I go to get cheap but hot hookers as a laowai in China, but not have to pay the foreigner price for them?
I know Chinese guys pay like 300-500 RMB for a hot young hooker outside the big cities. Where do I go for this? KTVs?
>>1114069
AIDS
I
D
S
Anyone have any experience in getting a STEM-related job in China, more specifically, Shanghai?
> Good STEM (chem) degree from top 10 UK university
> 2 years relevant work experience
Got accomodation an shit sorted already, just want to know how hard it would be to get a basic lab job
>>1114096
>go to a top tier university
>receive a STEM degree
>still have to go to china to find work
Isn't STEM amazing, guys? I can't believe there are idiots who don't go STEM! Enjoy not finding a job, losers!
In relation to your question, just as hard as it would be to find one in the UK. I don't suspect you speak Chinese.
>>1114032
There are various sports drinks too.
Pocari and 100 are around.
>>1114041
Jindong.com is pretty reliable. Otherwise, go find an electronics mall in your city and shop there. What city are you in?
Online will be cheaper.
>>1114167
You're right, although it's well known that sports drinks, even isotonic ones, usually contain excessive amounts of sugar which can actually exacerbate dehydration.
>>1114283
>You're right, although it's well known that sports drinks, even isotonic ones, usually contain excessive amounts of sugar which can actually exacerbate dehydration.
>too much sugar
That's true but anon has the runs, some sugar will do them good.
The other thing for the runs is some ginger and brown sugar tea. It's great stuff to keep you alive until you can eat food again. Even black tea with some sugar in it is quite good.
But /trv/ is so slow that anon posted that two weeks ago, they've either recovered on their own or died by now.
>>1114291
Probably the latter.
>>1095677
Don't listen to the cucks. Leave your GF.
She is no longer yours.
>>1114168
Guangzhou. That site is good enough to get an idea of prices and availability.
Thanks mate.
>>1114163
Actually I got a STEM-related job 2 months after graduating, which I am still at - plenty of prospects here in UK.
Just interested in anyone who has experience getting a proper job in China...
Hi please help. I got a job offer today for a year long program in China.
Long story short I get a stipend of about 800 dollars a month. I also got a job offer (conditional) in Korea with a salary of about 1800 dollars a month. When I talked to the program about a larger stipend they argued that 800 dollars in China will get me further than 1800 dollars in Korea could ever touch.
Is this about right? I'm willing to take a smaller salary for the job I want in China, but how far will 800USD/month get me? Could I live comfortably on that? It's not Beijing or Shanghai but other mid sized cities like Shenzhen or Hangzhou if that helps
>>1114542
Hello anon,
$800 a month (5000RMB?) is at best an absolute beginner salary for an ESL teacher (and to be honest many beginners make more).
Of course your employer in China gave you a spiel about how much further it will go in China. That is less and less true all the time. 5000RMB/month is not much especially if that does not include accommodation.
If you're a young white guy with a degree I think you can get a better starting salary than that. If you have any ESL experience at all, then you should not accept that amount.
These schools make piles of money and upping you from 5000 to, say, 8000 is nothing to them, even for an absolute newb. To give you an idea, my first ESL job in China (with my only experience being 2 summer camps) was 6200RMB/month in Wuhan. And that was 2008.
>>1114544
Thanks anon,
I'm really nervous. I graduate college tomorrow so this is my first job. I really liked some aspects about the program in China. I don't have much formal teaching experience at all (I judged debate and passed that as my "experience), and this program gives me a free TEFL certification and it's a more informal teaching job.
But the pay kind of sucks. Accommodation provided for me, but the "stipend/allowance" is 5000RMB/month and non-negotiable.
Korea terrifies me because I'd be teaching a formal classroom setting and Korea is much more competitive, but the money is much nicer.
